Starbucks Scalping

A few days ago, I was making one of my pilgrimages to Starbucks – this time to the Los Feliz Blvd. shop where I’ve spotted Dr. Marvin Candle a couple of times. Since this weekend was the Subway Series, I was flaunting my Mets colors. In front of the shop, this guy approached me:

GUY (pointing to my Mets shirt): Hey! I bet you’re a Dodgers fan.

ME: Um, no.

GUY: I’ve got a bunch of Dodger tickets for sale. Good games. Cubs are coming to town. (He opens his fist to reveal a stack of at least 25 Dodgers tickets)

ME: Um, no, Got any Mets tickets?

Guy silently walks away.

First of all: What?? I had no idea Starbucks was now a hotspot for scalpers.

Secondly: I made an inquiry as to a product/service I would be interested in buying. In response, he walked away silently. Not the most effective of sales strategies.

Two young women claiming to work for a street marketing campaign tried to sell me Dodgers tickets for a game on Mothers’ Day while I was standing in the ladies’ bathing suit section of Target (Culver City) with my wife.

Well, I do. I’m a big Dodgers fan. Just thought I’d answer your question… but to each their own, ‘es verdad…

I was offered tickets to a David Bowie concert about 10 years ago, in a men’s restroom at the 3rd Street Promenade… no big deal, right — but the concert was in Sydney, the next day. Problem was, as I figured out later after politely declining the offer and mentioning that I don’t tend to have conversations in the men’s room, that the next day in Sydney… is today here due to the Int’l. Date Line. That would have been a heck of a trip.